These Rare Whales Had Never Been Seen Alive, Then Scientists Saw Two Near California

A lifelong whale researcher recently encountered a living pair of gingko-toothed beaked whales for the first time ever in the wild.

The encounter advances the science of beaked whales enormously, for in addition to confirming the whole genome of the animal, it also linked this elusive species to a well-recorded whale song that can now be used to map their territory and protect them, potentially, from hazards like military sonar.

In 2024, an expedition was conducted off northwestern Baja California, Mexico, to find and identify the beaked whale species that produced a unique echolocation pulse codenamed BW43, which had previously been recorded in the area and elsewhere in the North Pacific.

At the time, the crew, led by Oregon State University researcher Robert Pitman, believed they were